Method of producing gaseous fuel.



AJW. SOUTHEY.

METHOD OF PRODUCING GASEOUS FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.12, 1912.

Patented J an. 6, 1914.

2 SHEBTS-SHEET 1 A. W. SOUTHEY.

METHOD 01-" PRODUCING GASEOUS FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.l2, 1912.

Patented J an. 6, 1914.

2 SHEET SSHEET 2.

4 w aim & fl

ALFRED WILLIAM SOUTHEY, or EnewAnn, Lennon, ENGLAND.

METHOD OFPRObUCING GASEO'US FUEL.

Patented Jan. 6,1914.

Application filed November 12, 1912. Serial No. 730,969.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED WILLIAM SOUTHEY, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residin at 1 Cherry House, Hale Lane, Edgware, ondon, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to the Methods of Producing GaseousFuel, of which. the

following is a specification. a

This invention relates to the production of gaseousfuel from.-liquid hydrocarbons for motive power purposes in apparatus wherein the fuel is ignited in a chamber to which air is freely admitted at approximately atmospheric pressure.

According to the present invention l pre-,

vent excessive combustion by supplying the liquid fuel to the chamberin the form of a spray of finely atomized oil, by means of which a large excessof oil or vapor is assured, so that when combustion occurs, it occurs in the presence of a substantial excess of oil, which has the effect of keeplng' the metal' surfaces in the generator comparatively cool. The combustion is further effected by a highly concentrated flame so as to obtain as high a temperature and as large a degree of fixation as possible, while at the same time the damping effect of the excess of oil prevents an over combustion of the'gas, thereby producing an excess of burnt gas. In addition, the amount ofair drawn into the apparatus is reguIated by the suction of the engine alone, and the liquid fuel being always largely in excess,

and in a finely atomized state, there is continuously formed the amount of fixed gas or gaseous fuel required by the engine. The excess of liquid. fuel may be collected in the bottom of the chamber, whence it can be drawn ofi by the pump or other means which produces the'spray. As thecombustionis to be regulated by the amount of air drawn in by the suction of the engine I prefer to atomize the liquid fuel bymeans' 'of a mechanical spraying nozzle and thereby avoid using an air or steam blast, as the use of either of these would interfere with the proper regulation of combustion'within the chamber.

'The present lnventlon aecordlngly con.- sists in a novel method for preventing ex- 'cessive combustion by supplyin the liquid fuel in'the form of a spray 1n su cient quantity to insure the combustion taking place in the presence of a substantial excess of oil.

, Specification of Letters Patent.

The invention further consists in a method for regulating the supply of air by the suction of the engine to form the combustible mixture with the atomized or vaporized fuel, in which mixture the atomized fuel is generator on these lines;

In Fig. 1, a. represents the trough of the producer connected by the passage?) to a float chamber-c which is in turn-connected .to an oil reservoir 0!. Connected to the passage is a duct.- 6 leading toa circulating pump f driven by the engine, which pump is connected by a pipe-gto a spray nozzle I). r

in thelupper portion of the producer. .A short passage '1. connectsthe float chamber to the duct e. The upper portion of the generator comprises a domed cover 7' having Within" this cover is a concentrically disposed bell Z into the upper'p'or'tion of which.

the spray nozzle h opens. The lower peripheries of the cover j and the bell Z are but a little distance apart leaving only a -one or more air inlets k in its lower edge.

small annular passage into the generator trough for 'air intro need by the inlets k.

lGoncentrically within the 'bell a-coned baflle m the outer edge of WlliChilS lower. than the edge ofthe bell l, the peripheries of the bell and the baflle forming between them an annular opening for the spray or -vapor produced wlthin the bell to pass,

which opening-is below the first annular opening referred to. The lower edge'of the baflie is some short distance above the liquid level maintained in the trough by the float. Within the baffle the gas outlet at projects above the level of the fuelvin the trough.

Referrin to the details of the apparatus shown in iently be carried upon arms 0 from the base of the outlet pipe n. For starting, a; pilot flame is obtained from a wick p, which is carried in a box 9 on the side of the proige 2, the baffle m may convenon the surrounding sleeve and are atomized.

ducer, and is fed with oil from the trough a. The flame isdrawn in through the hole 1' when the engine is started. The nozzle'h .is one of known construction, having two channels such as t, oppositely directed, for producing two fine jets of oil which impinge I have found it of advantage for facilitating the smooth operation of the pump which circulates the liquid, and for preventing it from knocking, to admit a minute quantity of air into the duct 6, by means of a small pipe 11. having at the top a hole about 3- .in diameter and extending downward below the opening *0 where the oil can flow from the float feed 0 to the duct 6. This air'has no material effect upon thespray. The

pump may be a diaphragm. pump worked frdm 'the tappet of the engine.

v. throughthe ports is to the'extent required 'tion is mainl and regulated by the suction of the engine and mixing with the excess of atomized fuel from the nozzle 71.. The flame of combusconcentrated around the lower edge of the aflie m and the fixed gas andproducts .of combustion pass away to the engine by the outlet n. The free supply of oil through the nozzle h keeps the baflie m and the interior of the chambers j and Z comparatively cool. The oil as consumed is made up by the float feed from the tank d.

7 What I. claim as my invention is l. The method of producing gaseous fuel for internal combustion engines from liquid fuel consisting in supplying liquid fuel without 'air in the form of a spray to a chamber where it is partly burnt with air -in such quantities that partial combustion always takesplace in the presence of a substantial excess of fuel. 7

y 2'. The method of producing gaseous fuel for internal combustion engines from liquid fuel, consisting in supplying the'liquid fuel without air andin excess in the form of a spray produced mechanically to a chamber where a portion'of said liquid fuel is partially burned with air introduced into said chamber at normal temperature independently of the fuel, I

' 3. The method of producing gaseous fuel for internal combustion engines which consists in introducing liquid fuel into a chamber in excess of the requirements and in the form of a number of fine streams, drawing air at normal pressure and temperature by suction into said chamber independently of the fuel, and partially burning a portion-of ialid fuel in the presence of said excess of 4. The method of producing gaseous fuel for internal combustion engines fromliquid fuel which consists in introducing liquid fuel into a chamber in excess of the requirements and in'the form of a number of fine streams, drawing air at normal pressure i R D WILLIAM SOUTHEY. p

Witnesses: r.

' G. J. BRIDGES,

JOSEPH WILLIAM THOMPSON. 

